She made it past the door and a few steps down the hall before Liz caught up with her. “You
’re going the wrong way.”
Helen stopped and turned toward Simon
’s mother. “I want to see that he’s not coming back half-dead.”
“And you think I
’m all kinds of terrible for not running with you.”
“Well, yeah, I do.”
Liz held out a thick piece of plaid and thrust the material into Helen’s arms. “He’ll need this and you’ll find him at the highest peak.” Liz shifted against a stone wall and pointed down a dark hall. “Go up these stairs and turn left. You’ll find a spiral of stairs that branch off to several floors. Don’t stop until you’re at the very last door. Once you’re passed through there, an even darker hall will lead you to three more doors. Open the second one and wait.”
Dark halls and doors?
What did this have to do with Simon?
“I love my son, Helen. Maybe after you speak with him, you
’ll have a better grasp of what’s happening around you. You have to trust us in order to work with us. The sooner that happens, the better.”
Helen glanced beyond Liz and down the dark passage.
“Here’s a candle.”
Great, like the small stub of a candle would help. What if she got lost?
Though Helen didn’t remember Simon saying anything about his mother reading minds beyond his, the strangest words came out of Liz’s mouth. “And if the candle goes out, cowboy up and try something new. Look at any sconce on the wall, get good and pissed, scared or any damn thing. Think of a firecracker on the Fourth of July and watch that sucker light your way.”
Helen felt her brow crease. The noise from the hall below grew louder.
“I know you’re scared right now. I know you don’t understand what you’ve gotten into. But the sooner you’re up to speed, the easier it will be for everyone.”
Cian bounded up the steps behind them and stopped when he saw them speaking. “Excuse me.”
“It’s okay, we’re done here.” Liz stood back giving Helen room to walk beyond her.
“I
’m fetching Simon.”
“It
’s okay, Helen’s all over it. Aren’t you, Helen?” There was a challenge in Liz’s voice.
“Up the stairs and turn left?”
Liz nodded.
Fine.
“Fine,” she repeated aloud.
Helen turned and placed one foot in front of the other. Once the casting of light Liz held in her hand was behind her, Helen started toward the stairwell.
“You know she’s unaware of what she’ll find, right?” Cian’s question to Liz made Helen hesitate.
“The sooner she learns the truth, the better.”
“I’ll tell my father to expect a delay. But he won’t wait long.”
Helen took another step.
“Reality has a way of jump starting the brain, Cian. Tell your Dad to take a chill-pill. Helen needs this and Simon shouldn’t have kept her in the dark this long.”
“An army of men wait his word.”
“And a few minutes isn’t going to change a damn thing. Check on Amber. See if she’s okay, and then take your time going back to Ian. It won’t feel that long.”
The last word Helen heard was Cian saying “Women!” Then, because she wasn
’t going to ask for an explanation, she bounded up the stairs repeating Liz’s directions in her mind. All the while praying the stupid candle wouldn’t die.
Chapter Fourteen
Through the eyes of a falcon, Simon swooped behind a tree and silently slid past the guard posted on the western turret of the Keep. Not that a knight would consider a falcon a threat, but Simon didn
’t need to call any attention to any animal form he might take. He enjoyed the final blast of air that ran along his wingspan as he dove for the dark window that served as his refuge.
Before his talons could reach the floor, he willed his form to shift. Familiar pain popped every vertebra into place, skin stretched and feathers retreated. No matter how liberating it felt to sprout wings and soar above everyone and everything, having arms, legs, and an appetite for human food always welcomed him more.
Shaking his body from head to foot, Simon stood from a crouched position and took a deep breath.
A shuddering breath filled the room.
He wasn’t alone.
The sky had grown dark and the moon hadn
’t yet risen. Without a candle, it was hard to see who welcomed him. He thought he heard the rustling of skirts. “Mom?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t she. Something about being a full-grown man standing in front of his mother naked was just wrong.
“Oh, God.”
Not his mom.
He could feel Helen
’s panic long before he saw her face. A kilt skidded to the floor at his feet, and he heard Helen’s back as she hit the door.
“Helen.”
She turned and ran her hands along the wall, searching for the handle of the door. Simon grabbed the plaid, shifted it over his hips, and caught the door before she could open it.
“Wait.”
“Let me go.”
Simon kept a firm hand on the door and attempted to surround Helen with the other to calm her down.
She ducked below his arm and fled to the far side of the small room. “Get away from me.” Her voice shook. The shock of seeing him shift must have been horrific. Why was she waiting for him anyway? Who sent her?
“Helen, it
’s okay.”
“Okay?” she hissed. “Y-you just… Oh, God.”
She moved again in the dark, shadows played on the walls from the torches lit outside. He willed a sconce on the wall to light with only a thought, and soon a warm glow lit up one very distressed Helen. Her beautiful blue eyes were owl-wide, her body rigid and poised to run. She shifted back and forth between her feet, and her fists clutched the fabric of her dress.
“How did you know to come here?”
“Your mom sent me.”
He
’d have to have a word with her. And not a pleasant one. This wasn’t the way he wanted to reveal his gift to Helen.
“What
’s going on, Simon?”
“I should have told you on my own.”
“Told me what? That you’re not human?”
“I am human,” he said lowering his voice and glancing to the open window beyond her back.
She took the hint and lowered her voice. Her clipped whisper no less effective in displaying her anger. “You
flew
in here. That isn’t human in my book.”
Simon raised his hands and turned them over a couple of times. “Does this not look human to you?”
A quick glance to his arms and her eyes darted back to his face. “I thought you were an animal whisperer. You didn’t say you became them.”
“Would you have believed me if I
’d said I did?” He took a step closer.
She leapt back. “I don
’t know what to believe any more.” Her hands were clearly shaking.
Dammit!
His mother had some serious explaining to do.
“I discovered my gift shortly after we came here. I never asked for it, but I
’m not ashamed of it either.” Which was true, though he wished he could erase the past few minutes from Helen’s mind and tell her when he felt she was more ready to accept it.
“S-so, what are you? A bird-man?”
He shook his head. “A falcon is convenient. I’m able to scout without detection.”
Her face softened a small margin. “They told me you were scouting alone. It sounded like a suicide mission.”
“Hardly. Only the family knows what I can do. Certainly, our enemy is clueless. My safety, all of our safety, depends on secrecy.”
“Good. I guess.” Her fingers flexed and her brow creased. “You
’re okay, then?”
“I
’m fine, ’tis you I worry about, lass.”
Helen started to pace, which Simon took as a good sign. Every time she paced she was working a puzzle out in her mind. “Birds? Only birds?”
A lie by omission waited on his lips, but to keep up the disguise now was pointless. “And other forms.”
She stopped. “What other forms?”
“A wolf.”
“Like the one in the woods that first day.”
“Aye. That was me.”
She started the restless walk, again. “The gorillas?”
“No, but I’ve not tried. I’ve taken the form of a shark. Damn uncomfortable breathing underwater.”
She stopped her intrepid pacing and let out a tiny, forced laugh. Her body started to tremble as the stress of the past days clearly caught up with her. Helen buried her face in her hands as she tilted toward the floor.
Simon caught her before she fell, enveloping her in his arms.
Shaking, she buried her head into his bare chest. Simon soothed her cries and offered words of comfort. She
’d been through too much. Holding her while she cried was becoming routine. Not that he minded her in his arms, but he’d prefer it be on better terms. The floral feminine scent of her filled his over-enhanced olfactory senses, the ones he had whenever he took on an animal form. A faint scent of lavender he knew the women put in the soap had him pulling in a deep, refreshing breath.
Helen
’s palms flattened out over his chest and started a slow inspection. Maybe she was determining if any feathers remained. A simple slide of her fingers over his nipples made them pebble, brought his cock to attention.
He needed to stop her assessment of his frame or he
’d end up taking advantage of her fragile state. Grasping her hands, he held her still until she moved away enough to look deep into his eyes. Desire leapt up his spine as she tilted her lips to his and lifted on her toes.
A whisper of a kiss met his lips, willingly given by a woman he
’d desired from first glance, and he was powerless against it. Dropping her hands, Simon pulled her tiny waist close to him and slanted his lips over hers. They were hot, moist, and open to explore. This wasn’t a stolen kiss, or one born of shock, it was delicious and giving, fulfilling on levels beyond sensation. Want quickly morphed into need as she willingly pressed her body closer. The firm swell of her breasts met his chest and Simon lifted his hand to touch even more of her offering. Her breath caught as the first swipe of his thumb made her breast pebble.
Helen kissed him harder and ran her hands down his bare back. She stopped at his waist and moved back up, her nails dug in.
He lingered over her mouth, tasting every inch until they were both breathless and in need of air. In the back of his mind, Simon knew he needed to stop this seduction but his body had different plans. A tender spot on Helen’s neck pulsed and Simon nibbled and licked his way lower. He tugged away the loose bodice of her dress, and explored the creamy expanse of the top of her breast. He half expected her to push him away, was elated when she arched back giving him room to take more. The deep rose of her nipple slipped free of her gown and Simon covered it with his mouth. He smiled over her breast as her knees gave way, nearly pulling them both to the floor.
The floor.
He needed to end this or he’d end up taking her on a damp, stone floor. He drew her nipple between his teeth and licked its end one last time before reluctantly releasing it and pulling back.
God she was beautiful. Her lids half closed, her lips opened in invitation. But now wasn
’t the time.
Soon.
“W-why did you stop?”
“I care too much for your comfort to take you here in this dingy room.”
He tucked her breast away but kept her close. If he’d learned one thing about the woman in his arms it was that she ran away whenever they stopped holding each other. Simon didn’t want her running.
Like clockwork, she tugged back, but he didn
’t let her go. Instead, he dipped his lips to hers for a promising kiss. When she relaxed, he released her lips again.
“You
’re making me crazy, Simon.”
He smiled. “Someone is bound to come looking for us. A war rages, or have you forgotten?”
She sighed and dropped back to her flat feet. “Your family catching us kissing
once
is enough for one lifetime.”
“Aye. Makes it difficult to face my mother without a childish blush.”
“Right.”
“Mayhap when things calm we can explore each other further.”
The blush he spoke of, now filled her cheeks. “I’d like that.”
Simon kissed her forehead and took her palm in his. When he opened the door, they noticed Cian leaning against the outer hall, a smirk played on his lips.
* * * *
Helen hadn
’t seen Simon for three days. Three long, nerve-racking days and sleepless nights. While he scanned the Highlands as a falcon, spying on his enemies, the MacCoinnichs rearranged their home to accommodate the growing number of knights flowing in. Laird Ian had many allies and few enemies, which meant the Keep exploded with bodies. The more people who entered, the farther Amber receded into herself. They attempted to begin work on reconstructing the necklace but gave up after only a few hours. Although Helen had only known the woman for a few days, she worried about her health. Each day she grew more pale and said very little.